Director’s Thoughts, September 2017

I received this e-mail the other week and found it quite interesting. I am sharing this with all of you:

• Good Afternoon Sally,
  My name is Whitney Roberts, I am a tutor in Kingston, NY (about 1 ½ hour north of NYC). My son Evan is really into cars & trucks. He recently did his end of year project on the history & the evolution of the automobile. I helped him out with his research online, & we really enjoyed your page, www.buickfreespirit.org. It had a lot of great information, & we really enjoyed checking out your pictures.
• Evan is always looking online & learning more about different cars, & he showed me this article he found about the early days of the automobile, http://www.partsgeek.com/mmparts/automobiles_of_the_early_20th_century.html . I thought it was a great article, & it’s very cool to think what progress has been made in the last 100 years, & the great impact automobiles have had on our way of life, from farmers to construction workers, to your everyday person. I was hoping you could add it to your page, I would love to show Evan. I think he’d be really excited to have been able to contribute a fun & helpful article to your page. Thanks again for the awesome page & help encouraging Evan’s interest in Automobiles! If you’re able to add the auto history article to your page, please let me know so I can show him! Have a great day & hope to speak to you soon.
  Best Wishes,
  Whitney Roberts

What a nice e-mail this was to read! Here, a youngster has shown an interest in the history of the automobile! Maybe his enthusiasm may rub off onto his friends & their friends, & their friends, etc. This is what ALL antique/classic car clubs need, the YOUNGSTERS interest & enthusiasm!

This month the chapter turns 40 years young! A Birthday cake was enjoyed by all during this past chapter picnic event. Please attend the Sept. meeting to enjoy a small Birthday celebration! Hope to see u there!

Happy 40th Birthday “Free Spirit” Chapter, BCA
Your elected Director, Sally Getz

“Free Spirit” Chap. Meeting Minutes, August 2017. No meeting held, DAF.

Northeast PA All Buick Regional, September 20-22, 2018, Lehighton, Pa

A Northeast PA All Buick Regional will be held @ Lehighton, Pa @ Phifer’s Ice Dams, September 20-22, 2018. This is a community park with pavilions, ball field, grass, macadam, playground, & plenty of space for a nice show! There are 2 local hotels, 1 within 0.5 miles & 1 just 1 mile away. There are fine dining restaurants as well as fast food restaurants. The PA turnpike is only 1 mile away for those who travel! Please keep abreast of the future newsletters to be kept in the loop about this exciting event! Watch for future flyers about this show.

New Member(s)

Please “WELCOME”:

• Judy/Thomas Yanacek of  Bethlehem, Pa 18015-1439 with their 1973 Buick Electra 225, YCT39, BCA #46569.
• Suzanne/Allan Robertson of  Easton, Pa 18045 with their 1938 Special 5p4D Touring Sedan, 41.
• Richard Purvis of Lansdale, Pa 19446-2636 with his 1961 LeSabre Conv., 4467 & 1966 Skylark Gran Sport, 44617, BCA #39522.

Please add this information into your 2017 membership Roster. Please “Welcome” them when you meet n’ greet them!!

Chapter Badges

Please remember to wear your chapter badge that has your name on it. Wearing it to the monthly chapter meetings is a must, or you will owe $1.00 to Dolores Kennedy. Also, please wear it to the periodic chapter events. This way everyone can get to meet/greet you if you are a new member. If you do not have a badge with your name on it, please contact Dolores Kennedy & she’ll be more than happy to see you receive a badge!

Headrests – Who Knew?

The headrest of car seats is deliberately kept detachable & sharp so that it could be used to break open the glass of car in case of fire & emergency. The car’s glass too are kept easily breakable from inside. Very few people know about it & thus can’t save themselves in case of emergencies.

This is something that all drivers & passengers should know about. I hope no one ever needs to do this. I always wondered why the 2 posts on the bottom of the headrest were pointed. Now I know & so do you!

Das Awkscht Fescht – 2017

It’s all downhill from here since DAF has now gone into another year of the history books for the Ontelaunee Region AACA. Despite the rain which occurred every day, but usually in the evening to late evening hours, the show was still a success! By Saturday, the humidity was totally gone. The Fireworks display was extremely well organized this year. The twizzles & whistles were neat to hear this year. Not that many loud cracks were heard. Many applauded at the end of the 20 minute display showing their satisfaction of the display.

During Sunday, club day, the weather couldn’t have been more cooperative. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! For those members who have attended Sunday’s show, you can attest to my previous statement! During Sunday, this chapter hands out 2 awards: J.C. Taylor, Pre-War award & the Buick Club of America, Post-War Award.

 

 

J.C. Taylor, Pre-War award went to Mr. Richard Dayton of Watertown, CT with his 1928 Buick Master 6.

The BCA, Post-War award went to Mr. Stanley Sipko of DuPont, Pa w/ his 1967 Buick Station Wagon.

 

Congrats to them both!!

 

 

51 bold & beautiful BUICKS were on display in the BUICK area. All sizes, shapes, colors & models were shown! Look out Chevy & Oldsmobile, the BUICKS are multiplying!! If my brain doesn’t fail me, I believe there were 42 BUICKS on display last year.

The chapter signed up 2 new members to the “Free Spirit” chapter during this show. They are listed earlier on in this newsletter. Hopefully you read about them previously in this newsletter. Be sure to welcome them when you meet them. Sally Getz sold some Ways-n-Means items during the week while Clarence Getz & John Moore were Flea Marketing. If you remember in last month’s newsletter, I had mentioned that our flea market spot has been moved & I had mentioned about seeing if you could find us & invited you all to stop by to say “Hello”. Well, not counting Sunday, only 4 “Free Spirit” chapter members found us: David Brady, Gary Hiller, William Hallman, & Franklyn Miscione. Let’s see how many of you who attend DAF during the week can find us next year! Where’s Clarence/Sally & John? (Where’s Waldo?)

I would like to personally “Thank” the following:

• Don Atwood
• Dan Reiniger
• Ed Lenny
• Dennis Snell
• Chuck Mason
• Thomas Sylvester

Were it not be for these 6 members, the Buicks would have lost its’ prime parking area for next years’ DAF. As some of you may have heard, the Cadillac car area had no one to park them this year, & so guess what, next year they will be parked way up top in the ball field of the park area where there is nothing but SUN! That area is sooooooo far from everything if you can picture that area. No shade! So, again, many many “THANKS” to those men who volunteered their time to do this task.

Until next DAF, Go Buick! Sally Getz

2017 Buick National – Brookfield, Wisconsin

 

Wayne and I attended this year’s Buick National Meet held in Brookfield, Wisconsin – July 5 – 8 2017.
What a great venue for the event! The entire show was held at the Sheraton Hotel (host hotel) located in the Brookfield Mall Complex so there was plenty of room for the show, flea market & trailer parking all on blacktop with additional indoor flea market & Hospitality Suite in the hotel.

Wednesday through Friday, there were tours offered each day to the Harley Davidson Museum and Miller Brewery factory or the EAA (Experimental Aviation Association) Museum.

 

Wednesday Wayne & I signed up for the Harley Davidson Museum & Miller Brewery factory tours. The Club was given a guided tour of the Harley Davidson Museum explaining some of the significant motorcycles & then we had time on our own to walk around the museum. The Club was than provided vouchers to eat at the Museum Restaurant before re-boarding the bus & heading into Milwaukee for a guided tour & free samples of beer at the

Miller Brewery factory.

 

 

 

 

Thursday Wayne & I signed up for the EAA Museum in Oshkosh. Club members could either take the guided tour or do a self-guided tour walking around the museum & outer buildings. There are more than 200 historic aircraft & the special exhibit this summer featured a rare commemorative Air Force WWII Nose Art Collection with more than 30 pieces of nose art from actual WWII combat aircraft. After the tour, we were driven into Oshkosh for lunch at a Restaurant located on the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Wayne & I had a free day. The Old Cars News Iola Chicken Roast & Car Swap was being held at the same time as the Buick Meet. This car meet has been going on in Wisconsin for the last 45 years. The car show is a 3 day event with about 4100 vendors, 2000 show cars & a car corral with a couple hundred cars. If you are ever in Wisconsin, it is well worth seeing.

 

 

Saturday was the Showing of the Buicks & what beautiful Buicks were displayed! There were 282 Buicks registered for the show. Plus, there was a special 1965 Riviera Gran Sport (one of a kind) that was on display all week in the lobby of the hotel. This GS was the only 1 ordered in Cadillac “Samoan Bronze” & the earliest known production Riviera GS in existence.

September 23, 2017 Thomas Edison Tour

Join us for an exciting day tour to the Thomas Edison Museum, 211 Main Street, West Orange, NJ 07052. Once inside the museum, we may attend programs & buildings open to the public during our visit. Most buildings are handicapped accessible, however, Glenmont IS NOT.

Glenmont = Thomas Edison’s Home. Passes to the home are only available at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center & must be obtained before going into the home. The Glenmont home IS NOT HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE by wheelchair or walker so be aware that there are numerous steps throughout the tour of the Glenmont home.

We will meet at the Trivet Diner, (4549 West Tilghman Street, Allentown, Pa) by 8:15 am, to PROMPTLY leave at 8:30 am. Please feel free to have breakfast at the Diner, but be ready to leave at 8:30 am. Lunch will be consumed after the visit to the Thomas Edison Museum & Glenmont Home, so eat a good breakfast!!

• Members = $5.00 per member
  Non-member(s)/guest(s) = $10.00 per person
  Anyone under the age of 16 = FREE!
  Senior National Park Pass (member/non-member/guest) = FREE!!

Please R.S.V.P. with check made payable to: “Free Spirit” Chapter, then submit to: Kathleen Duckett

Please respond to be signed up by September 11th! Come & enjoy this tour with us! I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy yourself!

Kathleen Duckett

41st Annual Old Car Show, Kempton, Pa, October 29, 2017

Hopefully, as you are or should be aware of, next month is the chapters’ annual car show event. It is held on the grounds of the Kempton Community Recreation Center. It is appreciative of you, the membership, if you could find it in your hearts & souls to volunteer your time to this show. Yes, I know everyone likes to sleep in on a fall October Sunday morning, but this is only held once a year. So maybe you could forfeit 1 early Sunday morning to volunteer & to help out in 1 of the many duties it takes to host a show. Part of a success on a show is the help to run a show.

If you can find it in your hearts to come out very early to help, please notify the following: Clarence/Sally Getz, . Areas for members to volunteer in:

• Flea Market registering spaces, Outdoor (early)
• Flea Market registering spaces, Indoor (early)
• Parking of show cars in their appropriate classes
• Day of show registering cars
• Spectator parking (early)
• 50/50 Raffle (mid-morning)
• Pre-Registration packets handout (early)

Yes, if you are there very early, (dark out yet), you might think it could be a long day. But, we do really have a lot of fun during the day & it goes quickly. Guaranteed you will sleep good Sunday night! So mark the date & let Clarence/Sally know of your good intentions! Join in on the fun of a Great BUICK “Free Spirit” Chapter Day event!

Clarence/Sally Getz

Our Condolences

On August 5th, Sally was informed that 1 of our recent member’s (Mr. Michael Nester) daughter had passed away. Please keep Michael & his family in your hearts & prayers. On behalf of the “Free Spirit” Chapter, condolences were sent to the Nester family.

Calendar of Events

SEPTEMBER 2017 Happy Labor Day!
2 – 52nd Annual Duryea Days, Boyertown, Pa
3 – Slatington Car Show, Rt. 873, Slatington, Pa
5 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge. Dinner at 6 pm, business meeting at 7:30 pm.
10 – Strausstown Car Show, Strausstown, Pa
10 –Star Buick GMC, BOP Show, Rt. 33, Easton, Pa
22-24 – Englishtown Swap Meet, Englishtown, Pa
23 – Tour: Thomas Edison Museum, NJ. Tour masters: Kathleen/Tom Duckett
27- October 1 – Fall Carlisle, Pa
29-October 1 – Upstate NY Buick Regional, Clifton Park, NY

OCTOBER 2017 Happy Halloween!
5-7 – Hershey AACA Fall Meet, Hershey, Pa
10 – Monthly Chapter meeting, Star Lite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa. Dinner at 6 pm, business meeting at 7:30 pm. Nominations to be taken for Officers & 2 BOD’s. You, as a member have a voice in these nominations.
29 – 41st Annual Old Car Show, Kempton, Pa.

NOVEMBER 2017 Happy Thanksgiving!
7 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa. Dinner at 6:00 pm, business meeting at 7:30 pm. Nominations of officers & 2 BOD’s to be voted upon.

CARS/PARTS “FOR SALE”

1939 Buick Special (41) 4-DR Trunk back Sedan, unrestored original car, Straight 8, manual transmission. Runs well! Rebuilt engine & components, brake system, drive train, transmission. Upgraded carb, electronic ignition, oil filter, NEW exhaust system. WW tires. Pics available. $16,500/negotiable. Ken Davis, 610-489-1649. kwmcdavis@verizon.net.

1951-52 Buick Mustache Bar to be rechromed, very hard to find! $400.00. William, 610-970-7183, 484-948-6213.

1958 Super/Limited Chrome & stainless trim, rear Ltd. Bumper end. 610-509-2061.

1962 Buick Skylark Conv. Overall GOOD condition. Various NOS chrome installed. Runs/drives nice! Transmission, rear, top & rear window good. Dave’s Int. restorations, 525 Chestnut St., Emmaus, Pa 18049

1964 Buick 300 V-8 w/ factory aluminum heads, complete w/ fan, carb, air cleaner, etc. TH 400 auto trans #BU-64-23582. Eng. #4K5029219, $700.00. 610-509-2061.

1966 Buick Skylark GS 2 dr HDT, red/white top. $16,500.00. 610-582-3758

1979 Buick Riviera 32,000 miles call Michael Spitzer at 215-255-5768

1981 Buick Regal 4 DR dark green, garage kept. 75K mi. 717-576-7588

1987 Buick GN, T-Top blk w/ grey/blk int., orig parts, EXCELLENT condition, 3200 ORIGINAL miles. Stored in heat controlled garage. $28,500 (OBO), gbrentano@verizon.net

BUICK BUGLES – 30 years of “Buick Bugles” FREE for the taking. Must take ALL! 610-248-1638.

In Search Of

OPEL Manual, 717-201-1660.

1948 Buick Special 2 door back chrome. Doug @ 570-573-0948.

1951-52 Buick Roadmaster RH grille bar extension. C. Wenger, 433-710-6624, crewzn@broadstripe.net

1967 Buick Electra Conv. 610-730-4599, dwebster80@gmail.com